How cosmetic issues resulting from treatment affect my mental health
Note: This column was updated March 17, 2025, to correct that the writer uses an antibody therapy. I step out of the shower and face the stranger looking back at me in the mirror.
Walking On Water — Shalana Jordan
Shalana “Shay” Jordan of Columbia, South Carolina, is a photographer, writer, retired educator, and single mom of two boys. She’s been adjusting to her “new normal” of battling atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, stage 4 kidney disease, lupus, May-Thurner syndrome, and severe anemia. She received these diagnoses in 2020 at 36 years old. She wants to help fellow rare disease patients adjust to and prepare for the new life that’s unfolding for them. Because life doesn’t end at diagnosis.
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Headaches and migraines are now a regular part of my life
I squint while looking forward, trying to get my eyes to focus. My head is throbbing so badly I can feel a pulse in my eyes. Every beat of my heart thumps pressure into…
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